A personal safety alarm should be able to activate, alert, and support a person throughout their daily life. In “Toque de Ingenio,” Julieta Rueff explains how a personal experience of insecurity led to FlamAid, a portable device with a sound alarm and connection to an app. The interview details the journey from the initial design, through prototypes, user testing, and the production of an electronic product.
Guest: Julieta Rueff, the founder of FlamAid.
Interview published: May 6, 2025. Episode: According to their chronological position in the series, they are number 49. Duration: 43 min.
In this episode:
- The relationship between a usage situation and the product’s activation mechanism.
- How did the initial prototype evolve to integrate the device, firmware, and application?
- What did the user testing data reveal, and what new challenges did the shift to new materials introduce?
Julieta originated FlamAid from a personal experience during her university years. From this experience, she began exploring a tool that she could carry with her and activate with a simple gesture. The article details the product and the plans announced in May 2025, which reflect the company’s offerings at that time.
Transforming a need for security into a design requirement.
Juliet’s first decision, as she explains it, is the activation method. FlamAid is designed to resemble a grenade and is activated by pulling a ring. In her conversation, the creator links this choice to the intention of making the action easier in a stressful situation.
To develop the idea, he researched existing devices and mechanisms from other fields. The team compared products, disassembled them, and analyzed the functions they offered and what was missing. The search was based on a specific need and on solutions that they could examine physically.
Julieta summarized the starting point like this:
“We weren’t going to try to reinvent the wheel”.
Julieta Rueff 7:07.
Design education involves using references thoughtfully. While a specific technique can spark interaction, the final product must always be evaluated within its intended context. Factors such as portability, ease of access to the device, and a clear understanding of what happens when it’s activated are all part of the overall experience.
The interview highlights the deterrent effect of the product. To describe this accurately, it’s important to distinguish this purpose from a guarantee of protection: while an alarm can issue warnings, the conversation doesn’t demonstrate that it prevents any aggression, nor does it allow us to guarantee a specific response in all circumstances.
From local sounds to an interconnected system.
During the episode, Edgar and Julieta demonstrated how to pair with the phone. The app searches for the device via Bluetooth and allows users to view information, such as the battery status. This hardware is thus integrated into an experience that continues on the mobile device.
The proposal combines audio signals with alert and location features through the app. Julieta explains that this connection expanded what some alarms she had studied offered: the device would only stop working in the location where the person was.
This evolution introduces additional requirements. It’s necessary to manage the connection between teams, explain the connection status, and make the sending or cancellation of an alert understandable. For the user, all of these steps are encompassed within a single product, although the underlying components are technically different.
Julieta also describes a service for connecting to a receiving central, which was planned for a later date. This refers to a commercial plan that was mentioned in the interview, not a confirmation of its current availability. Differentiating between demonstrated functions and advertised services helps to understand what was being validated at each stage.
An imperfect prototype can open up useful conversations.
Juliet’s initial design was created in Blender and was initially linked to her final project work. Through networking, she secured engineering support to transform that initial representation into a more physically viable proposal. The concept began to evolve as she considered real dimensions, mechanisms, and components.
The early electronics were also experimental. Julieta recounts that they gathered components from existing devices to build a proof of concept. This assembly allowed them to demonstrate the functionality they were aiming for, while also explaining how they envisioned a developed version specifically for the product.
The prototype, therefore, had two audiences. On the one hand, it was used to demonstrate how it works; on the other, it facilitated conversations with potential investors. Being able to demonstrate and operate an object helped to transform an abstract presentation into an experience that others could understand.
The usefulness of prototypes It depends on the purpose. A prototype can explore form and activation; a functional test can demonstrate a signal; and a fully integrated version can study usage. Confusing these levels can lead to asking an initial build for a reliability it wasn’t intended to provide.
Test the use before considering the integration complete.
Julieta explains that the initial testing was conducted with people in her circle who were using versions of the device and sharing what they observed. The validation process began in a close and practical way, collecting failures and difficulties to guide subsequent changes.
Her description of that phase is straightforward:
“We all had it”.
Julieta Rueff 24:59.
The initial development was heavily focused on the hardware. Later, the application arrived, and we had to review the firmware to ensure the two components could communicate. Adding connectivity represented a significant step in integration – it was no longer sufficient for the mechanism to simply function when activated.
The interview also highlights the value of post-sale feedback. Questions and unexpected uses help to identify differences between what the team had anticipated and how the user interprets it. This information is used to review instructions, materials, and operating expectations.
That’s why the development of electronics A connected product encompasses both the technical component and the overall user experience. The information regarding charging, connection, and activation should be clear and easily understood by the user. A technical function adds value when it is readily accessible and usable at the appropriate time.
Manufacturing, financing, and new formats.
Julieta describes how she secured funding to move from the prototype stage to production. In her explanation, the capital enabled her to cover development, electronics, and the manufacture of components. This episode demonstrates that a hardware startup needs to manage industrial expenses before having a significant sales history.
He also shares a difficult experience involving a financial contribution he was expecting, which was delayed. His story illustrates the gap between an intention to invest and the funds available to pay for work. Operational planning needs to take this difference into account when allocating resources and engaging with suppliers.
When discussing the future, he presented prototypes for connected jewelry. While some of the electronics could be reused, the change in format involved different materials and processes. Working with metal components and jewelry finishes presented challenges that were not equivalent to those encountered with a plastic casing.
That example is helpful for understanding a range of functionality. Maintaining the primary function doesn’t mean the new product is complete. Contact with the body, water resistance, mounting, and the method of confirming activation all need to be re-evaluated when the object being worn by the user changes.
What can another development team learn?
- First, define the usage context, and then choose the interaction method.
- Using prototypes with different objectives to explore form, function, and integration.
- To jointly design both the device and the information presented to the user within the application.
- Treating a change in materials or format as a new stage of product validation.
The FlamAid case illustrates how a personal motivation can lead to specific engineering, manufacturing, and business decisions. It also highlights the significant effort involved in transforming an idea into a product ready to be used daily. If you are developing a connected product, i-mas can help you define requirements, test the interaction, and coordinate its industrial evolution. Tell us what you need to develop..
To continue reading: The development of sensors and machine vision for safety in climbing with Lizcore..
Source of article: Interview with Edgar Guerrero with Julieta Rueff on Toque de Ingenio, published on May 6, 2025. The quotes link to their passages in the video; the summaries are an editorial synthesis. The audio catalogue repeats number 48; here, number 49 is used due to the sequence between Control3D and Aurax.
